MLB Trade Wire: Winners and Losers of the Winter Meetings

The trade winds were blowing this winter as GMs from around Major League Baseball gathered for their annual meeting of the minds.

Some teams were looking to swap expensive talent for promising prospects; others were searching for that missing piece to the championship puzzle.

Here's a look at the biggest winners and losers...

Winners

Tigers

Adding Miguel Cabrera to an already potent offense will give Detroit plenty to smile about in 2008. Dontrelle Willis, meanwhile, will solidify a blossoming rotation, and help the development of Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander.

The Tigers become an instant favorite to win the AL Central.

Marlins

Yes, the Marlins are winners too.

Not only did the Fish unload two superstars they would have lost to free agency—they got one of the most dominating young pitchers available in Andrew Miller. Anyone who watched this kid at UNC knows he's going to be special.

Florida also landed Cameron Maybin, a young outfielder whom scouts rave about. He has five-tool potential, and could be a younger version of Andruw Jones.

The Marlins suddenly have a promising nucleus with Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Jeremy Hermida, Mike Jacobs, and a slew of up-and-comers.

Diamondbacks

The NL West is trembling after Arizona landed one of the premier pitchers on the market in Dan Haren. What's even more frightening is that Haren will be paired with former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb.

The idea of those two in a playoff series has everyone worried.

Losers

Giants

San Francisco added a bat in free agent Aaron Rowand, but the offense is still anemic.

The Giants had an opportunity to land either Cabrera or Blue Jays OF Alex Rios in exchange for Tim Lincecum, and were even rumored to be on the verge of trading Noah Lowry for Yankees OF Hideki Matsui.

None of the deals went through, though, and the Giants are still looking for another run-producer.

The big mistake was passing on Rios for Lincecum. Rios looks to be developing into a young Vladimir Guererro, and has the potential to hit 30-40 HRs a year. Lincecum's unconventional delivery puts him at risk for a number of injuries. The Giants may well regret their decision down the road.

Cardinals

They let David Eckstein walk, traded Jim Edmonds, and might lose Scott Rolen. With the heart and soul of the 2006 championship team gone, the Cards look to be favoring a youth movement.

As it stands, the rotation is pocked by injuries and the lineup offers no protection for Albert Pujols. The Cards could be in for a long season.